The Bones of Summer
by lovefuryANDpassion
Summary: Now that the world was overrun by the infected all that was left for Riley Hale to do was find a way to survive. Eventually she stumbles into Glenn and Rick who find their way back to camp. Little did she know she'd be creating relationships with every one of them. And maybe just a certain red neck in particular. Eventual Daryl/OC.


_The Bones of Summer_

**CHAPTER ONE: PILOT**

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Looking out into the city of Atlanta, Riley sighed. Every place she looked was filled with biters, either walking or yet to walk this cruel world that she now lived in. It all seemed to happen so fast. One minute people were walking the busy streets, rushing to work, speaking on their phone and just going about everyday life. The next minute people were running around eating each other with no remorse. There was no beeping of car horns, no chatter amongst the sea of people; only the sound of the wind and constant moans from the biters. It took a while for all that to sink in, the world wasn't how it was before and contrasting the two didn't make the situation any better yet it just showed how shocked she really was.

In all honesty, Riley hadn't a clue what she was going to do next or how she was going to survive this. All she had was a water bottle, her pistols that were surely running out of ammo and a pocket knife that she kept in the side of her boot. When the outbreak struck she had managed to hole herself up as securely as she could in one of the hotels that Atlanta possessed, taking out as many of the undead as she did so.

Originally she was from Texas; Austin to be exact and her dad thought it would be nice if they had a family vacation. Why they chose Atlanta, she wasn't quite sure. The mention of her family brought tears to her eyes. Remembering what happened just mere days ago and knowing that she wouldn't see them again killed her inside. But she had to stop feeling sorry for herself, there wasn't any time to mope around. With that thought she got up and rifled through the drawers, scavenging for any useful items and pushing back the memories of her once breathing family. All she seemed to find was a bible. What good was that going to do her? She'd never been the one to have a faith or stick to a religion, it just wasn't her thing, never believed in it. But she did question it. If God loved us then why would he bestow this upon the world, upon innocent people? Why would he let us destroy each other inhumanely? So many unanswered questions whirled around in her head almost making her feel dizzy with the thought of it.

Deciding to explore the rest of the hotel room thoroughly, she entered the bathroom and nearly gipped at the smell that pinched at her nostrils. The sight before her was disgusting, sickening and sorrowful all at the same time. A rotting corpse lay against the wall, blood splattered all over and a gun sitting next to it. She knew exactly what had happened and clasped a hand to her mouth, careful not to make a noise as all the emotions stirred up. It was at that moment that made her realise just what the world had come to. People were taking their lives because they were sick of living in fear, always looking behind their back and never knowing when their time was up. Never knowing if they would succum to the same fate as every one else and never daring to imagine what it would be like when a biter sunk its grotty teeth into your flesh, tearing you apart and ripping every inch of your soul into pieces until you eventually rose once again to do exactly the same. It was a vicious cycle and it wasn't going to stop anytime soon, that was the harsh reality. She was shook from her dark contemplations when she noticed the shower in the corner of her eye. Rushing over to it, she prayed that it would work. What she would give just to feel the warm droplets of water splash onto her skin, washing away all of the dirt, blood and grime. But just like she expected, no water. However, she did find a lone bottle of shampoo, stuffing it into her backpack along with the other essential items that she had come across, she hoped that in due time she would get that well needed shower. But at the moment, she had more important things to worry about. Like surviving this shit hole.

Moving back into the main room, she froze when she thought she heard a groan obviously coming from the grotesque mouth of a biter. Defense mode kicked in and she grabbed the two pistols from her leg holsters instinctively, mentally noting that her knife was in her boot if she needed it. Drowning out everything else, she listened intently, waiting for the biter to make another sound. Inching closer to the source, it directed her straight to the window, which was odd as it sounded like it was coming from above her. Riley knew she was on the top floor which puzzled her even more, was there biters on the roof? Taking her chances, Riley shoved her guns back into the holsters and grabbed onto the ladder, determined to figure out what it was. Whether it was a stupid move or not, she wasn't sure, but she was going to find out. Bobbing her head up, she saw a man. Not a biter. An actual, living, breathing man. Asian by the looks of it, young too, sporting a baseball cap covering messy dark hair. While Riley was thrilled that she was in reach of someone who was human, she had to be on the defence. She'd seen the gangs that patrolled the city and she didn't feel like being captured like the unfortunate ones who roamed the streets at night. Deciding that she wasn't going to take the chance, she stalked towards him. The closer she got, the closer she could hear what he was saying.

"Okay, the street on the other side of the tank is less crowded, if you move now while they're distracted, you stand a chance. You got ammo?"

The kid appeared to be talking into a walkie talkie, seemed to be helping someone out who was down on the ground, stranded by the sounds of it. Looking at the sight below her, she saw the tank, crowding it was a large number of biters. His surviving chances were looking less likely.

"Poor bastard." She whispered to herself. Obviously not quiet enough, as the kid spun around with a terrified look spread across his face. Riley mentally slapped herself for giving up her position so Asian kid looked taken aback by her presence and she noticed him grip onto the walkie talkie, contemplating her next move. Riley knew she wasn't going to make this trip out of Atlanta by herself and with that she lowered her guns and placed them on the ground, holding her hands up in the process. He eyed her wearily, yet no words were spoken. Long wavy hair framed her slightly tanned face, the golden shade of it reflecting off the sun as it beat down on the both of them. Her hazel eyes fringed with long thick lashes stared at him, with what could be seen as a look of sadness. She was clad in a v-neck top, the dirt and blood meshing with the dark colour as it clung to her athletic frame. Two guns were held at either side of her long legs by holsters which sat below black shorts and above knee high boots, which had cracked the skulls of many walkers, no doubt. His muscles tensed as he stared at the stranger before him, not sure whether she was a threat or not.

Breaking the ice, Riley finally spoke up, "I want to get out of this city just as much as you do," She said coolly, then looked down at where the man was held in the tank and back up at the Asian kid, "Let me help."

He held her gaze, not really looking at the woman but trying to see through her. He could tell she had done things she wasn't proud of during the 'new world', it was evident in her facial features. But he could also tell that the woman could look after herself too despite the cuts and bruises that marked her skin. Everyone was going through a rough time, who the hell wasn't? So surely an extra person could help with this survival shit, they needed all the good people they could get. However he did wonder how the camp would react when he brought her back plus the man in the tank, that is if they made it out.

He nodded his head at the blonde woman with a weak smile, letting her know she had his approval and then turned his attention back to his walkie talkie. Time was running out for the isolated man and he knew he had to act fast.

Hearing the crackling of a deep voice on the other end of the walkie talkie, Riley stepped closer as she tried to make out what he was saying.

"Forget the bag, it's not an option. What do you have on you?" He replied frantically, ending his sentence with a static crackle from the device in his trembling hands.

"Hang on." The voice blurted out as she supposed he was checking for his weapons for when he attempted to escape. How he was going to survive this, she didn't know. In a way it saddened her but she was forced to push that to the back of her mind when the kid spoke up, a few inches away from her.

"I'm Glenn." He offered as he stuck out his sweaty hand for her to shake.

"Riley." She murmmered in response, hesitating before she eventually shook it and then wiped off her hand on her shorts to which Glenn noticed and smirked a little.

The almost humane moment was interrupted when the walkie talkie came back to life, "I've got a baretta with one clip, fifteen rounds."

"Make 'em count. Jump off the right side of the tank, keep going in that direction. There's an alley up the street..Maybe fifty yards, be there." He commanded, hoping that this guy would pull through.

"Hey, what's your name?" The stranger questioned to which Riley scoffed. This was hardly the time to make small talk. He had to move, _now_.

"Have you been listening? You're running out of time." An irritated Glenn exclaimed.

Acting upon instinct, Riley followed Glenn until they reached the hard asphalt beneath them. They were now in the alley, she guessed, that Glenn had told the man to meet them at. Gun shots echoed throughout the streets which earned a curse from the young man. This only made the situation worse for them. Approaching the gate that separated them from the biters, Glenn pushed to open it but it was swung open by another man, his gun pointing directly at his face.

"Woah, not dead!" Glenn shouted, panicking instantly as he ran in the opposite direction, the other two following closely behind him.

Taking the rear of the group, Riley glanced back and noticed just how many of the biters the man had attracted and without hesitation, pulled the trigger on her pistols. Shooting down as many of them as she could, hoping that it would buy them some time.

"Faster!" Glenn cried as he could see the flood of walkers now on their tail.

Never before had she seem so many of them, not all grouped together like this anyway. The city had gone down so fast but it only seemed to strike her right before they were gnawing at her life. Her lungs began to burn and her legs ached with the sudden urge to desperately keep moving at a quick pace. The only fumes she seemed to be running on was her sheer adrenaline, coursing through her veins.

"Come on, come on." Glenn panted, pleading that they kept on moving.

Once he reached a set of yellow ladders leading up to another rooftop, Glenn latched on, speedily making his way up.

"What're you doing? Come on!" He screamed.

After a few gun shots, the unknown man then followed which left Riley little time to make her way up. She could hear the snarls of the monsters that craved her flesh inching closer and closer. Grabbing onto the ladder, she heaved herself up determined not to be dinner for the biters. Feeling a tight grip on her leg, Riley screamed out, alerting the other two that also climbed the ladder and before she knew it a gunshot rang out and the biter fell with a thud to the floor that the others now occupied. Looking up she saw the stranger above her, baretta pointed at where the undead once was. She noted mentally to thank him later, but right now she just wanted to be on that rooftop as far away from those things as she could possibly get.

Breathing heavily, she swung her arms over the railing as she tried to calm herself from the event that had just taken place. She had nearly been biter bait but gladly she wasn't thanks to sheriff over there. Feeling a hand on her back, Riley turned her head to look into the steely blue eyes of her saviour only to have the moment disturbed by the sound of Glenn's voice.

"Nice moves there Clint Eastwood." He mocked, looking over at the sheriff as he too, tried to regain his breath, "You the new sheriff, come ridin' in to clean up the town?"

"Wasn't my intention." He drawled, accent coming into play.

"Yeah, whatever. Yeehaw." He shot back, sarcasm lacing his tone, "You're still a dumbass." Riley smirked at the conversation between the two however. They reminded her of her brothers, always arguing about something. Whether it be who ate the last doughnut or who lost one of their silly bets. Feeling her eyes begin to sting, Riley tuned off all memories before she got herself in a state that she was not prepared for them to see her in. It made her feel incredibly weak.

Holding out his hand for him to shake he went onto continue, ignoring his earlier remarks, "Rick, thanks."

Briefly shaking it he replied, "Glenn, you're welcome." Then he motioned his hands to the blonde woman standing beside him, "This is Riley." Rick drank in her appearance and smiled at the young woman, holding out his hand yet again but instead of shaking his hand, she nodded slightly not wanting to get too close for comfort. However, the moment was ruined as a biter started to slowly figure out how to climb the ladder.

"Oh no." Glenn sighed as he made his way over to another ladder. Looking up, Riley saw the stretch of metal bars that seemed to be going on forever. Before all of this she was never particularly fond of heights and now nothing seem to have changed. Her heart beat sped up as the moans from the biters bounced off of the walls and into her ears. There was no other choice, it was either up or down. And she really didn't feel like plummeting down into a herd of biters. Rick noticed her tense posture and looked up, noticing just how high it was.

"Bright side," Glenn spoke up, glancing back as he said so, "It'll be the fall that kills us. I'm a glass half full kind'a guy." And with that sentence, the clank of his shoes against the metal ladders could be heard, along with the biters never ending growls, as he reached the top, Rick and Riley close behind.

Jumping over a wall that stood in there way, Rick continued to question the younger, "You the one that barricaded the alley?"

"Somebody did, I guess when the city got overrun," He then sped up into a jog while still answering, "Who ever did was thinking, not many geeks could get through."

"Back at the tank, why'd you stick your neck out for me?" He shot him another question, clearly not done interrogating the Asian.

Opening the latch to a door, he slung off his back pack and threw it down into the hole, "Call it foolish, naive hope. Then if I were ever that far up shit creek, somebody might do the same for me," Looking up at Rick, he concluded, "Guess I'm an even bigger dumb ass than you."

Following Glenn down into the hole, he sneaked a glimpse at Riley to see a smirk planted firmly across her face, obviously laughing to herself at Glenn's words. She was a very observant person, didn't really speak much but he guessed he couldn't really judge her yet considering he didn't know her well enough to. He wondered how long Glenn and Riley had known each other, from his experience of being in the police force he guessed a short period of time. He would have to question him on this later. With Riley being the last one down, she sealed the door shut, making sure no biters would be able to follow in their path.

The trio carried on despite their lack of food or water, they had to make it back to the others. Then they could form some sort of plan to get back to camp. Running through what looked like an abandoned building, Glenn then flung open a door, leading back out into the sweltering sun. Flying her hand up to shield her eyes, she followed the two men in front of her. A hand hovering over one of her pistol's as her eyes scanned the area for biters. It was then that she noticed two as they ran down some stairs leading back into another alley way.

"I'm back. Got two guests, plus four geeks in the alley." Glenn had already spotted the remaining biters as they ambled around, aimlessly staring into space and was contacting some one from his walkie talkie yet again. All three of them came to a halt as two of the biters caught sight of them. Blood and drool dripping from their foul mouths as they stumbled towards them but were stopped when two men in black uniform came to their aid, hitting them repeatedly as they crashed to the floor, blood pooling out every where. Wasting no time they sprinted past the biters who were now grounded and into another building, this time other people occupied it.

"Morales, let's go!" She heard one of the uniformed men shout and with that they came crashing through and slammed the door shut, breathing rapidly.

As soon as they entered the room a short blonde woman spun Rick around and pointed a gun to his head, "Dumb son of a bitch, I'm gonna kill you." She snarled, anger evident in her eyes as she realised what this meant for them.

"Just chill out, Andrea. Back off." One of the uniform clad men said, trying to cool down the woman who she now knew as Andrea.

"Come on, leave 'im." Another woman chimed in from the back of her.

"Leave him? You're kidding, right?" She started, "We're dead because of this stupid asshole." She raged, not moving her gun an inch regardless of the protests coming from her group. Glenn stared on in shock, not knowing what to do as Morales tried to calm her down once again, this time with more of a warning to his tone, "Andrea, I said. Back. The. Hell. Off."

Deciding that she had had enough of this, she walked up to the outraged blonde, knocked the gun out of her hand and shoved her up roughly against the wall with her back to her. Everyone looked on in surprise at the two who were now pressed up against the hard wall.

"Now I don't know about you, but I'd like to get back in one piece. But if you don't change your attitude, I'll make sure, you _don't_." Riley hissed, not liking this woman one bit, "Is that clear?" When she didn't receive a response from Andrea, she applied more pressure to her arm that was twisted awfully behind her back. Groaning from the sudden impact of pain, Andrea finally gave in, "Clear." She said through clenched teeth as she was released.

The group all spun to attention when they heard gunshots being fired from above them.

"Oh no, is that Dixon?"

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**A/N:** Okay so this is taken from the second episode in the first series and I've decided to split it into two parts to make it easier. Riley Hale is my own original character, I do _not_ own anyone else in the story. Please tell me what you think in reviews, criticism is accepted just not too harsh haha. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


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